The Extra Benefit Of Connecting Your Amazon Fire TV With An Alexa Smart Speaker

Thanks to the rise of smart TVs, home entertainment has never been more convenient. The Amazon Fire TV, in particular, provides a wide array of features that let you enjoy an extensive catalog of your favorite shows, movies, apps, and live TV. Whether you want to stream 4K content or race your heart out on the Asphalt 8 track, this smart TV can greatly enhance your entertainment experience and living space, too.

Another noteworthy thing about the Fire TV is its integration with Alexa. One push on your remote, and you can effortlessly tell your TV to pause the movie or provide you with the local weather forecast. However, while this already sounds like a nifty way to control your device, it loses its appeal when you misplace your remote yet again or you're just too lazy to get up and get it from the other side of the room. That's where your external Alexa smart speaker comes into the picture.

Considering how the Amazon Fire TV already comes with Alexa built-in, pairing an external Alexa smart speaker to your TV might seem like a redundant move. However, there's actually a hidden benefit to doing so. By having a separate speaker, you won't need your remote control to make the most out of your TV. You can simply call Alexa via the smart speaker, and it will immediately do as you please, whether that's opening your favorite streaming app or starting a comedy movie. This setup also means you no longer have to hunt for your remote or put down your popcorn and drink just to control your TV — you can do everything hands-free.

To connect an Alexa smart speaker to your Amazon Fire TV, you first need to make sure that your Fire TV and Alexa-enabled speaker are registered to the same account. Once you confirm that they are, all you need to do is ask Alexa to play a show. It will then ask you whether you want to play it on your Fire TV. Say yes to confirm, and you'll hear a message from the smart speaker telling you that you can now use it for controlling your TV.

If you want to use the Alexa app to connect your speaker and Fire TV, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone.
2. Go to More in the bottom-left corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. Under Alexa Preferences, tap on TV & Video.
5. Choose Fire TV.
6. Select the Manage Devices button.
7. Tap on your linked Fire TV.
8. Tap on Continue.
9. Choose your linked Alexa smart speaker.
10. Hit Link Devices to finish.